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Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell has fatherhood to thank for his focus

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It’s hard to get a one-year-old to focus on anything for long periods of time, but there’s an exception when point guard D’Angelo Russell plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. With a playoff shot ahead of him for the Lakers in New Orleans on Tuesday night, Riley Russell will likely be focused on watching his father on TV with a mini basketball in his hand at home in Los Angeles.

“He goes to a lot of games, but if he’s not there, the nanny or someone will send a video in a group text message to the guys watching the game at home and just stay in touch with everyone,” Russell said. Andscape in a recent telephone interview about his son. “Maybe he’ll sit on the table and have fun the match. And he already knows the little nuances of basketball. Pass. Dunk. Shoot. Dribble. He knows when the ball goes into the online. That’s good too.

For D’Angelo Russell, the birth of his son on September 24, 2022 modified his life on and off the court. Before his son was born, Russell was not focused on the court and experienced anxiety as he bounced across the NBA before finding a house with the Lakers.

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Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell dribbles the ball with his son Riley before the sport. Abigail Field

Abigail’s Field

Russell and his family members were emotional through the 2015 NBA draft when the Lakers made an unexpected move and chosen him second overall out of Ohio State. The 2016 NBA All-Rookie Team selection averaged 14.3 points and 4.0 assists in his first two seasons, but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on June 20, 2017 together with Timofey Mozgov for Brook Lopez and a first-round pick. In 2019, Russell was an NBA All-Star and finished second in Most Improved Player voting. But before Russell could acclimate himself to Brooklyn, he was dealt to the Golden State Warriors in a trade deal that gave him a four-year, $117 million contract in Kevin Durant’s July 1, 2019 blockbuster deal.

Russell was averaging a career-high 23.6 points, together with 6.2 assists and three.7 rebounds in 33 games with Golden State when he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 6, 2020, for Andrew Wiggins, a protected 2021 first-round draft pick and a 2021 second-round pick. On February 29, 2022, Russell was traded back to the Lakers in a three-team deal involving the Utah Jazz, leading to Mike Conley Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were sent to Minnesota.

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Russell seemed to finally achieve some stability when he signed a two-year, $37 million contract extension with the Lakers in July 2023. Russell said that with the NBA’s jersey and address changes, he had to remind himself to “be humble.” Russell added that he has learned loads from teammates Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the late Kobe Bryant during his NBA profession.

“I’ve been through loads. I’ve done loads. I’ve seen loads,” Russell said. “But I used to be also around numerous people and touched shoulders with a few of the best players. I’ve been able to take loads from them and I exploit what I soak up situations like this. As for the mentality, not giving up, whatever it could be, I discover a way to take it from the good figures I’ve handled, after which I look within the mirror. I also realized that I’m a product of my surroundings; a few of the most effective things concerning the game were my environments.

“Everything I’ve been through or am prepared to undergo and I’m made for. I all the time attack that pressure, challenge, obstacle or adversity. I all the time like it when my back is against the wall since you discover a way out of all the things you have been a component of.

Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell reacts during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on March 27 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Justin Ford/Getty Images

Russell said that since he and his partner Laura Ivaniukas welcomed their first child, his life has modified for the higher.

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Over the past two seasons, the combined guard has been a reliable third goal scorer for the Lakers behind James and Davis. In the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, he averaged 17.0 and 18.4 points, respectively. He also had two career-best seasons in three-point shooting and turnovers.

According to the Lakers this season, Russell joined Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Jalen Brunson as just the fourth player in NBA history to make 200 three-pointers, 400 assists and shoot over 40% from three-point range in a single game. match. season.

“Honestly, I will always have something on my shoulder. And when I started training (for the 2022-2023 season), I started working hard and diving into training. I only really saw my son when I wanted to rest or drink water or something like that. I always felt like I had another motivation somewhere in the back of my mind. I have more in the tank,” Russell said.

Russell said he has also modified his focus off the sector. Before his son was born, he was really afraid of missing a gathering with his friends. He said that after the birth of his son, there was a greater focus on family. Russell often posts photos of his son at home and at Lakers games on his Instagram page, including one showing his son within the locker room shaking hands with Davis. He and Ivaniukas threw their son a Lakers-themed celebration that featured Riley on a basketball card and everybody wearing Russell’s Lakers or his previous teams’ jerseys.

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“Before I became a parent, life seemed complete,” Russell said. “But Riley’s arrival filled every corner of our hearts with such deep love. It has transformed our world by continually teaching us patience, resilience, and the true meaning of unconditional love. A brand new goal in life, other than basketball…

“Before I had a baby, I always felt like I had to take part in my friends’ initiatives and see what was going on, this and that. And I always realized that I was a homebody. So when I had my baby, it just allowed me to get used to being a homebody and focus on myself, my foundation, my family and life after basketball and all these other entities.”

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Russell said he was blessed with a supportive father, Antonio, who taught him how to be a father. Russell also asked for fatherhood advice from James and Davis, his NBA All-Star teammates who each have three children.

In March, Russell announced on his show that his partner was pregnant with the couple’s first daughter.

“I clearly remember asking LeBron about spanking his kids and stuff like that, and he gave me very good information about it,” Russell said. “And then AD gave me some good advice about having a daughter and I hear things like that. I make little mental notes and in some unspecified time in the future all the things comes to light. You asked about it and it was the very first thing I believed of because I remember these items and I hear it. Like I said, I’m a fan of asking all of the questions…

“All my friends have girlfriends and they say, ‘This is it and this is going to change you.’ Many people around me have (daughters). I try to ask the right questions and prepare for them.”

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Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell holds his son Riley after the sport.

Abigail’s Field

Riley watches him from Los Angeles. Russell and the eighth-seeded Lakers are in New Orleans, preparing to earn a playoff shot on Tuesday against the seventh-seeded New Orleans Pelicans within the NBA Play-In Tournament. The winner will take the seventh seed within the Western Conference playoffs and a first-round matchup with the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Russell is averaging 21.3 points, 4.3 three-pointers and three.3 assists in three games against the Pelicans this season.

The loser of the Lakers-Pelicans game will host a deciding game on Thursday for the ultimate Western Conference playoff spot against the winner of Tuesday’s matchup between the host Sacramento Kings and Warriors. The winner of this game earns the fitting to play in the primary round against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the West’s No. 1 seed, and the loser’s season will end.

Russell is optimistic that the Lakers will discover a way to make the postseason from the play-in tournament after advancing from the play-in to the Western Conference Finals last season and winning the inaugural NBA intraseason tournament in December 2023.

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“The key for us is our determination,” Russell said. “We all want to get back to where we were. We are better than we were and we can beat any team in the league and compete with them every night. For us, it simply means weathering the storm through thick and thin. Without being too tall and smug.”


This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Jalen Milroe can follow the Jalen path in NFL

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Star Black playmakers aren’t any longer an exception – they’re the rule. Throughout the entire football season, this series will discover the importance and influence of black QB from bottom -up to NFL.


Indianapolis-keep me, should you heard it earlier: playmaker Alabama born in Texas, who’s a stronger runner than a passerby, will probably be called outside the first round of the NFL Draft.

The playmaker was undefeated in Sec as a primary -year starter.

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The playmaker never played for the same offensive coordinator.

The name of the playmaker is even Jalen.

But it isn’t clear that Jalen hurts. This winter he was busy winning the Super Bowl MVP, and he didn’t play Iron Bowl or against Michigan.

Instead, it’s a former playmaker of Crimson Tide Jalen Milroewho last week Combine Combine tried to convey the case to the trainers and evaluators that he – like his namesake – is price being their playmaker franchise in the future despite questions on his ability.

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“I went through adversity. I saw everything as a quarterback, “Milroe said on Friday. “I played at the most difficult conference in the country. It would be easier to play at other conferences, but what I could see in Sec catapulted me that I was ready to play NFL. “

Alabama, Jalen Milroe, talks to the media during the NFL mix at the Lucas Oil stadium on February 28 at Indianapolis.

Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Departing from Katy in Texas, she originally got involved in Texas in 2019, but a 12 months later she fell to Alabama. After he was sitting behind the Crimson Tide Starter Bryung for 2 seasons, Milroe took his reins in the 2023 season. He helped Alabama survive Sec (8-0) this 12 months, won by the conference rival and two-time defender Georgia in the SEC championship, which caused Crimson Tide to the play-off collection.

But while Milroe had a big arm (his 10 yards for the test took third place in Sec in 2023), the pass was not his strong suit. For two seasons as a starter Milroe never achieved 3000 yards in one season, the first starter of Alabama, who did it because it … hurts.

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Hurts, from Houston, led Crimson Tide to the National National Championships in 2016–17, but during these two seasons were lower than 5,000 yards. While Hurts was a singular Rusher (1,809 yards and 21 sticks) at the moment, his weakness as a passerby is known for led to the spare Tua Tavailoa during the break of the national championships in 2017.

In the mix, Milroe decided that despite his pedestrian passes, he was still worthy of being a start at NFL.

He is aware of his weaknesses and swore that he worked in the ass to enhance outside being “one dimension.” He could move when his legendary trainer, Nick Saban, retired after the 2023 season, but decided to not fall off. He traveled six miles a day to ensure that that something was left in the fourth quarter in the fourth quarter. He studied progression and reads after I-SNAP to lift his IQ in football.

Unlike the forecast sorts of the first round, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, Milroe threw a mix on Saturday, hoping that he would show the bands that he has mechanics to do that to the playmaker NFL. It turned out to be a mixed bag. Milroe showed strong arm strength and a very good location of sail routes, curls and it while throwing exercises, but fought accuracy on intermediate and on the routes.

“That’s so many things that I can learn more where I am today and where I will be when it comes to day 1, starting with NFL,” said Milroe before Saturday exercises. “Always be a game student, at all times attempt to develop, because it would be so many opportunities in which I can look back and say that it was the moment after I grew up as a playmaker.

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“That’s right now, I’m just trying to grow as much as possible, put my best foot forward and just look for development.”

Jalen Milroe warms up during seniors training at the Hancock Whitney stadium on January 29 at Mobile, Alabama.

Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images

Milroe was asked that he was one other playmaker in Alabama to succeed in the mix, following in the footsteps of the role (who moved to Oklahoma in 2019), Tavailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young. Milroe said he appreciates being in the company of others, but he added that it’s difficult to check him with others.

“We had different bands, we had different players around us, we had a different system,” he said.

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But when he specifically asked what he could study the journey of Hurts-from the first manager of the game after the super Bowl-Milroe master said he inspired him his companion Alabam.

“The most important thing I learned from J. Hurts is how he kept his head (I) always continued to work,” said Milroe. “He at all times raised his game, he has never been self -deserved, and all the pieces you see is great progress from him.

“And I have to applaud him as a person, he as a man, because he is definitely inspiring for many playmakers of my image, as well as many playmakers throughout the country. He leads to all of us. “

The couple isn’t completely similar. Hurts had about 20 kilos on Milroe when he was in college. Milroe has a stronger arm, while Hurts played more and not using a mistake of football: Milroe threw 17 interceptions and ate 67 bags for 2 seasons as a starter in comparison with 10 captures Hurts and 43 bags.

But they can each be changing the game when their teams need them. In a highly publicized match against Georgia at the starting of the last season, Milroe finished almost 82% of his passes on 374 yards and two appointments, adding 117 yards to the ground for the next two results.

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Milroe can also match the wounds in the so -called “Jalen-ISMS. “

“Climbing upstairs is not easy, but when you reach the top of this mountain, you will learn so many things when it comes to adversity when it comes to difficulties, things along the way,” said Milroe in a mix.

Martenzie Johnson is an older author for Andcape. His favorite film moment is that Django said: “You all want to see something?”

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Like Tommie Smith and John Carlos from 1968. Black Power Salute inspired me to find my goal

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I’d say that I grew up within the household to be sure that that me and my siblings were aware of the black history. My parents invested in the gathering of black encyclopedias. On the duvet we had a version of the Bible with Black Jesus. Our house was stuffed with books of black novelists and thinkers, and if a black document appeared, we watched it. I watched all movies made on television about Dr. King, each “Roots” and “Alex Haley’s Queen” and I sat for all 14 hours “Eyes on the reward”-as a toddler. Bless my heart.

Having said this, there have been pockets of black history, and more likely that I had no opportunity to delve into once I was a toddler. The college was where all the will for information and understanding of the combined. I attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., One of a very powerful historically black universities within the country. It was there that I met people from around the globe whose knowledge about black history differed (often depending on the colleges and the communities by which we lived), but everyone had hunger to learn more.

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One day, through the first yr, I remember one among my friends in a T -shirt by which I had definitely seen before, but I never paid attention to. There was a black and white screen printing on the shirt (what I do know now) the enduring moment on the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968, where on the rostrum for 200-meter medals, Tommie Smith, John Carlos (races 1. And 3. Place Finaners) Everyone gathered a black fist in gloves while he played “Star Spangled Banner”. Peter Norman, the second place from Australia, wore a human rights badge, like Smith and Carlos.

Not only did they raise the fist of black power (although they each said it was for human rights), they received medals in black socks to represent poverty within the black community, and Smith wore a black scarf for black pride. Carlos showed solidarity with blue-wheeled employees, unpacking the jacket and wore a necklace from the beads for individuals who were lynched. Due to the state of Black America in 1968 and a continuing struggle for equality and civil rights, there have been calls to a boycott of the Games. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was also killed in April this yr – and all three athletes were inspired enough to find a way to do it on the rostrum, which led to one of the crucial durable images of public protest.

I remember how I learned history and realized that on the most important scene these brave men used their moment of triumph and victory to quietly protest against the conditions of underrated communities in America. I felt strengthened; We often discuss standing on the arms of giants, however the more I got into the history of black in America, the more I spotted what number of giants there have been. In college I used to be very bad and for a while ready to burn every part that represented the establishment or any obstacle to black liberation. I felt like all those individuals who even saw their space on the planet in reference to individuals who could never give you the option to speak as heroes whose lives were to be modeled later. Especially since it was also fastidiously that putting people in front of him can often bring an enormous personal loss.

When Smith and Carlos took their position, they were booed on the stadium and ordered to be sent home by the International Olympic Committee. The athletes returned home, but they weren’t welcomed by the hero, but as a substitute of rough sleds, and even in some cases the specter of death. They were also not beloved by athletes. Two men, associated eternally in history, even have a good relationship –Carlos even claims that he let Smith go within the race Because “Tommie Smith would never put his fist in the sky if I won this race,” the claim that Smith denies.

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History ultimately has a way of rights, but it surely took a few years and realizations on the front of social policy, in order that the actions of those persons are perceived as brave and needed, not only selfish and smug.

The lessons that I learned from College and continuous reading and education I gained (my head remained within the book about black history) were one among the best advantages in HBCU. The very variety of books I learned about about which I actually have never heard of – I actually have upheld me all my life.

That is why I remember sooner or later I used to be walking around Washington, the eastern Washington market and a street seller was selling different photos of moments in black history, and he had a 40 -inch photo within the Tommie Smith and John Carlos frame. I paid for it in money and spent it across the capital of the country until I returned home. I do know that it happened in 2005 (I finished Morehouse College in 2001) because I just moved to my first apartment with no roommate and it was the very first thing that I actually have ever suspended on the wall. This picture within the frame still hangs on the wall in my home in 2025 and I used it to teach my children about sacrifice and privilege and how you may have to discuss individuals who cannot.

Teenage students of Stax Music Academy Mark 25th anniversary, black history month with a concert

The query that my youngest children often ask: “How do I know who can’t speak for herself?” Which is an incredible query. For this I answered an easy fact, pointing to the photo:

“These men have made a gesture that gave people whose most of us, including them, would never see or never know them, but on which life negatively affects the alternatives of the wealthy and the federal government. Sometimes you may have to take this chance to say something because you do not know in the event you’ll ever have such a big platform.

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Son, there may be at all times someone who cannot speak for himself, and you may have to use it in a voice, because perhaps the thing you say or a stand that can help someone you understand, live a greater life. ”

I take advantage of words that may understand a little bit higher, but I can inform you that my children have a look at this photo on a regular basis, and once one among my sons said: “These guys are heroes, right?”

I say yes, they’re. They are the heroes of the Black History.

They will live eternally for speaking, and even quietly, in solidarity with those that couldn’t.

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Panama Jackson Thegrio.com

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Main Treasury Official Morgan State University, Sterling Steward, died

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Morgan State University, Sterling Steward


Morgan State University announced that his older associate athletics director and tax director, Sterling Steward, died.

No reason for death was disclosed, but the college has confirmed his contribution since he was employed in December 2022.

Steward died on February 26. In Morgan State he was accountable for the event of university programs, supporting partnerships and strengthening the financial and operational success of the Faculty.

“Sterling was more than a colleague-he was a respected leader, mentor and friend,” said in a written statement by Den Freeman-Patton, vice chairman and director of inter-university athletes. “His passion for athletics and commitment to raising Morgan programs were visible in everything he did. He worked tirelessly to ensure that our sports students had resources and the possibilities of distinction, and its impact will be felt for many years. We expand our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, especially his three sons and sister when we mourn this huge loss. “

While the steward worked in Morgan, strategic growth and cooperation occurred. His work with the institutional development department helped to offer more opportunities and created lasting relationships to support sports programs.

Steward earlier he worked At the University of New Orleans (UNO) as an assistant to the college athletics director for strategic income generation. He also made stays on the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Savannah State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Alabama State University, Kentucky State University, Eastern Oregon University and Xavier University in various roles, including for a senior consultant athletics director and sports director.

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He was from New Orleans, who received the title of bachelor and master’s degree on the University of Southern Mississippi. He won a bachelor’s degree in the sphere of coaching and administration/history of sport and his master’s degree in the sphere of sport management.

(Tagstransate) Morgan State Universiry

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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